Ryans busts Broncos' rhythm

Published 5:30 am, Monday, August 28, 2006

DENVER - After four possessions against the Denver Broncos Sunday night, the Texans had netted 9 yards. At the same juncture, rookie middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans had already made nine tackles.

This is not the kind of statistical balance NFL teams strive for. But it spoke volumes about the progress Houston's defense, 31st among 32 teams last year, seems to be making as the preseason draws to a close.

Although the Texans lost to the Broncos 17-14, there was no shame in the defense's effort, considering it held last year's AFC runners-up to 271 total yards and refused to buckle despite getting no help whatsoever from David Carr's sputtering offense early on. Denver held on to the football for nearly 18 of the game's first 24 minutes mostly because the Texans couldn't sustain any drives of their own.

"I thought we fought hard," Ryans said. "It was all about making the next play to get us off the field. We kept our team in the game. We played solid across the board.

"The only disappointing part is (Denver) scored the touchdown on us."

That's a rookie for you. He thinks you're supposed to shut out the Broncos, who had the NFL's fifth-ranked offense last season.

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Second-round steal

Not for nothing did the Texans use their top two picks in the 2006 draft for defensive end
Mario Williams
— the No. 1 choice overall — and Ryans, who has seamlessly transitioned into the most demanding of starting roles. If Williams continues to struggle in his personal fishbowl, Ryans is exceeding expectations as he sails under the radar into what figures to be a long, productive professional career.

"Football's football," he said, smiling. "I'm comfortable. I had fun out there tonight, a lot of fun. That's when I'm playing my best, when I'm flying around."

First-year head coach Gary Kubiak is having fun, too, at least when he's watching Ryans. If Carr's sputtering was a source of heartburn this night, Ryans and the defense served as a most welcome counterbalance.

"He's a great player," Kubiak said of the former Alabama star, taken with the first pick of the second round.

After giving the Broncos seven first downs and 99 yards but zero points in the first quarter, the Texans' limited Denver to four first downs and 65 yards — if 10 points — in the second and third quarters before yielding to a lineup laden with reserves. Those are numbers you can win with if the offense does its share.

The Texans threw every wrinkle they had at the Broncos, including a little bit of 3-4, the set they had ostensibly abandoned for the 4-3.

"Just something for (Denver) to think about," Robaire Smith explained. "That's something our team is used to playing, so why not?"

The different looks served to flummox Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, whose statistics were even less impressive than Carr's. Plummer completed just 10 of 22 passes for 96 yards and left with an efficiency rating of 58.1 (compared to Carr's 64.2).

Jay Cutler was more effective in relief, but he also profited from the Texans' taking a liberal look at their backups as they prepare for today's roster trimming.

Confidence grows

"We did some good things early," cornerback
Dunta Robinson
said. "When you hold down a high-powered offense like theirs, you feel pretty good about yourselves.

"We feel good across the board, even with our backups. We've just got to continue to play this way."

Robinson admitted practicing every day against the Denver offense — which is essentially the Houston offense — proved a big plus.

"We knew what to look for," he said. "But you've still got to go out and execute. The good thing is, the guys are believing in our system."

And in Ryans.

"It's a lot to ask a rookie to play middle linebacker from day one," Kubiak said. "But he has handled the challenge."